Punky wood

[Travis F]

Hey all, just wondering what everyone’s opinion of burning punky wood is? If it burns, burn it or just a waste of time.....?

My wife and I bought a new house on 20 wooded acres last summer. This past fall we had a 5036 Central Boiler installed. I’ve been playing catch-up on the firewood ever since LOL.

I have a few sources for firewood. My parents have a OWB also so I help my dad cut from around 250 or so tops left from having his farm being partially logged 2 years ago. This consists of red and white oak, cherry and some various blow downs.

Nearly same scenario for my father in law except he is disabled and heats with wood so I definitely have to help out there. Mostly oak tops but not as easy to access (doesn’t have the equipment that my dad has, tractors, skid steer, splitter, etc).

All that being said, at home I am trying to clean the property up a bit so I’m cutting what’s laying on the ground. I really don’t have any idea how long it’s been down. Some of it has been pretty good firewood while some has ended up being a bit wet and punky (one tree ended up being Camphor Wood and that crap WILL NOT burn at all!).

Anyway, what’s your opinion? Other than cleaning up the property am I wasting my time?

Here’s an example of what I cut on today after work. Not sure what kind of wood it is so included a picture of the bark of any one knows.

Travis


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[Ck0461]

Dry it out and toss it in the stove. Wet rotten wood holds a lot of water.
Any wood that has moisture in it has to use its own BTU’s to get rid of the wet. Get ahead and stay ahead, and you’ll burn a lot less wood in the long run.

 

[woodhounder]

Looks like it has plenty of life. Dry it out and burn it up.

 

[jimdeere]

The way I see it, punky locust is still locust and better than pine.
That looks like hickory in the picture.

 

[SamT1]

I burn mostly punky stuff as well as species I can’t sell. It’s not bad. If you handle it hard enough, split first, then throw In dump truck and then dump, you’ll beat most of it off to solid wood. At some point it’s not worth jacking with. I’d say that’s around 50% loss to punk.

 

[Travis F]

Well, that punky wood kept the house nice and warm last night and left behind a nice bed of coals. It Didn’t quite have the burn time that I would like but oh well the property is getting cleaned up LOL.

Travis


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[svk]

If it’s a little punky I’ll bring it in. If it’s like balsa wood I’ll leave it in the woods.

 

[old CB]

Punky wood requires the same amount of labor and handling as good wood--to provide less BTUs than good wood. If you can't get enough good wood, by all means make use of the punky stuff. But if you have good wood available--and it sounds like you do--I'd leave the punky stuff to rot. Let it feed the woods.

 

[alleyyooper]

If yopu have to get it out of the way to clean up the other stuff then by all means stack it to dry and once dryer burn the stuff.
I am a anti was labor guy. If I have to spend time clearing it out of the way for better wood then I am going to get some thing out of that labor no matter how little.

I am also a anti stacking guy just throw the wood in a near the walk out door in a pile.

Al

 

[husqvarna257]

Burn it next season. When it's dry it will be ok but as you noticed it goes quicker. I have scrounged some punk wood before, usually it's a deal of take this and the good stuff and it's all yours. The wood was oak, maple some pine and some punk oak from a new house clearing. Others passed it up looking for the good hardwood only but I got over 5 cord from that.

 

[mijdirtyjeep]

I have burned worse than that. Yeah, it don’t last as long as non-punky Wood, but if I have to move it anyways I might as well burn it. I do stack it in a different spot though and use it for shoulder wood burning.

 

[rancher2]

Punky wood will kept you warm. Around here the punky wood gets piled on the brush pile with the skid loader and burned. I have more than enough good solid hedge that I probably won't get cut in my life time of burning wood.

 

[husqvarna257]

I just mix it in. The OWB has no problem with it.

 

[Gypo Logger]

Punky wood looks like real wood once it’s exposed to sunlight. It burns and throws off good heat and I certainly wouldn’t put my hands in the flames of it.

 

[merc_man]

I vote burn it. Be good on the milder days.

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[Gypo Logger]

Around 1981 an Indian Chief said the heat and light that wood gives off is the result of all the sun it absorbed.
Made perfect sense to me.

 

[alderman]

If it’s big enough to split (and some times if it isn’t) it gets put on the wood pile to go in the stove. I’ve burned plenty of stuff that others would have turned away and there is heat value in all of it.
Now that I’m retired I don’t mind feeding the stove more often.
Still enjoying the process of making firewood at this point.


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[sb47]

I find that the punhy wood once dried out does burn but it just kinda smolders and glows like charcoal, Very little heat and no flames. If it's punky it means the fungus and mold have already broken it down to almost compost. I agree it takes the same amount of labor to gather and process so if I had a bunch of it I'd just pile it up in a big pile somewhere out of the way and have a bond fire after it drys out enough to burn. You can feather it in the stove or OWB a little at a time. It will put off some heat but not much. I use it for my outside fire wood when we just wanna sit outside around the fire. If I get a lot of it I sell it real cheap as camp wood just to get rid of what I don't burn myself. If it's dry it will burn fast, if it's wet it just smolders and smokes. Seems we always have a fire going out side so we just burn the junk wood and I don't split it or process it in any way. I just drag the whole log up and start a fire against it and let it burn. If it's a big enough piece it will smolder for a week but will eventually burn up. If your low on good wood I would feather it in a little at a time and at least get some heat out of it. But again, it's a lot of work for little heat. Once it gets punky it's almost composted and will not last long if left in place. It's usually full of bugs and termites as well. Just pile it up dump a few gallons of diesel on it, light it up and sit back and drink a beer.

 

[Bob95065]

Like I always say...
It all looks the same when it comes out of the stove.

Let it dry out and burn it. You'll kill two birds with one stone: get rid of a downed tree and heat your house.